Transient message display control

Abstract

A method includes observing via a camera of a device and a gaze tracking function that a user is looking at a transient message displayed on a display screen of a device, determining a time to remove the transient message from the display screen as a function of the observing, and removing the transient message as a function of the determined time.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method comprising:
 observing via a camera of a device and a gaze tracking function that a user is looking at a transient message displayed on a display screen of a device, wherein the observing comprises detecting a position of the transient message at which the user is looking; 
 determining a time to remove the transient message from the display screen as a function of the observing, wherein determining a time to remove the message corresponds to the user looking at an end of the transient message; and 
 removing the transient message as a function of the determined time, wherein removing the transient message comprises fading the message starting at the determined time, and wherein fading the message comprises:
 determining that a user has looked away from the transient message; 
 pausing the fading; 
 determining that a user is looking back at the transient message; and 
 continuing the fading when it is determined that the user is looking back at the transient message. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1  wherein the time is determined based on a total length of time that the user has looked at the transient message. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 2  wherein the total length of time that the user has looked at the transient message includes multiple different times that the user has looked at the transient message. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1  wherein determining a time comprises:
 obtaining a length of the transient message; 
 obtaining a historical reading speed of the user; and 
 using the length of the transient message and the reading speed of the user to calculate the time. 
 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1  wherein the time to remove the message is a function of observing that the user has looked at the entire message. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1  wherein the determined time is a fixed amount of time starting from when it is first observed that the user is looking at the transient message. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1  wherein the message is an operating system message, and wherein the method is performed by the device executing code corresponding to the operating system. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1  and further comprising emphasizing the transient message when it is observed that the user is looking at the transient message. 
     
     
       9. A non-transitory machine readable storage device having instructions for execution by a processor of the machine to perform:
 observing via a camera of a device and a gaze tracking function that a user is looking at a transient message displayed on a display screen of a device, wherein the observing comprises detecting a position of the transient message at which the user is looking; 
 determining a time to remove the transient message from the display screen as a function of the observing, wherein determining a time to remove the message corresponds to the user looking at an end of the transient message, and wherein removing the transient message comprises fading the message starting at the determined time; and 
 removing the transient message as a function of the determined time, and wherein fading the message comprises:
 determining that a user has looked away from the transient message; 
 pausing the fading; 
 determining that a user is looking back at the transient message; and 
 continuing the fading when it is determined that the user is looking back at the transient message. 
 
 
     
     
       10. The non-transitory machine readable storage device of  claim 9  wherein the time is determined based on a total length of time that the user has looked at the transient message, wherein the total length of time that the user has looked at the transient message includes multiple different times that the user has looked at the transient message, and wherein determining a time comprises:
 obtaining a length of the transient message; 
 obtaining a historical reading speed of the user; and 
 using the length of the transient message and the reading speed of the user to calculate the time. 
 
     
     
       11. A device comprising:
 a processor; 
 a camera; and 
 a memory device having a program stored thereon for execution by the processor to:
 observe via a camera of a device and a gaze tracking function that a user is looking at a transient message displayed on a display screen of a device, wherein observing comprises detecting a position of the transient message at which the user is looking; 
 determine a time to remove the transient message from the display screen as a function of the observing, wherein the time to remove the message corresponds to the user looking at an end of the transient message; and 
 remove the transient message as a function of the determined time, wherein the transient message is removed by fading the message starting at the determined time by:
 determining that a user has looked away from the transient message; 
 pausing the fading; 
 determining that a user is looking back at the transient message; and 
 continuing the fading when it is determined that the user is looking back at the transient message.